The Toyota Symphonies for Youth 2002/2003 concert series with the Los Angeles Philharmonic kicks off with All the World's a Stage - Music and Shakespeare with conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and host John de Lancie on Saturday, November 2 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Children and families are invited to take part in the pre-concert activities including arts, crafts, dance, and storytelling beginning at 10 a.m. with the one-hour concert following at 11 a.m.

All the World's a Stage - Music and Shakespeare introduces children to the delightful and often tumultuous world of Shakespeare and demonstrates, through musical examples, how various composers have translated the literary genius of Shakespeare. The program includes excerpts from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, Prokoviev's "Death of Tybalt" from Romeo and Juliet, Rota's "Balcony Scene" from Romeo and Juliet, Porter's "Entr'acte" from Kiss Me Kate, and excerpts from Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture.

Held on Saturday mornings, Toyota Symphonies for Youth is an entertaining series of concerts designed for children ages 5-11 and their families. Families should plan to arrive early and spend the morning making music, meeting musicians, listening to stories, learning to sing, and creating art projects with all activities revolving around the day's featured musical theme. Actor John de Lancie, best known as "Q" on Star Trek, The Next Generation, returns for a fifth season as host. The concerts feature real-time images of the musicians projected on a screen above the orchestra.

The 2002/2003 season, the eighth year that Toyota has sponsored the series, includes four more Toyota Symphonies for Youth concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The remaining concerts include: Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker - Music and Dance on December 7; Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition - Music and Art on February 8, 2003; Sing a Song! - The Orchestra and the Voice on April 5, 2003; and Hooray for Hollywood - Music and the Movies on May 10, 2003.

Toyota Symphonies for Youth receives additional support from the following: Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, The William Randolph Hearst Foundations, Morgan Stanley, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, and the California Arts Council, a State agency. Toyota Symphonies for Youth are supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Associate Conductor MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA was recently appointed Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony, a title he holds with the Auckland Symphony of New Zealand. One of the most exciting young conductors in America, his active guest conducting schedule includes appearances with the New York Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony, the Quebec Symphony, the Puerto Rico Symphony, the Mexico National Symphony, and the Auckland Philharmonia. Festival appearances include Grant Park, Tanglewood, Rencontres Musicales d'Evian in France, the Domaine Forget International Festival in Quebec, and the Musicarchitettura International Festival in Italy. Born in 1968 in Lima, Peru, Miguel Harth-Bedoya holds degrees in conducting from The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School.

Host JOHN DE LANCIE's career spans the areas of stage, movies, and television where he has proven himself to be an actor, director, and producer of note. He has appeared in nearly 100 TV shows, including his best-known role as Picard's bothersome adversary "Q" on Star Trek, The Next Generation. He co-owns, with Leonard Nimoy, Alien Voices (a production company), which has produced projects for Simon & Schuster, TNT, New Line, The Sci-Fi Channel, and California School Systems. De Lancie's love of music began as a child in Philadelphia, where he listened to Saturday night concerts at Philadelphia's Academy of Music. He has performed as a speaker and narrator with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Milwaukee Symphony.